This invention relates generally to off-road motor vehicles, such as tractors, and more particularly, to a console, housing operative controls for the vehicle, that is shiftable to position the operative controls to a convenient position selectable by the operator.
Tractors, particularly tractors used in an agricultural environment, are provided with an operator's seat that is shiftable in a fore-and-aft direction to place the operator at a comfortable location relative to the steering wheel. Agricultural tractors are often provided with an operator's seat that is also rotatable approximately 15.degree. to 30.degree. clockwise to facilitate the need for the operator to look over his or her right shoulder to view the operation of an implement being towed by the tractor behind the operator.
Typically, many of the controls for the operation of the tractor and most of the power-takeoff and hydraulic controls for controlling the operation of the implement operatively connected to the tractor and usually positioned rearwardly of the tractor, are located in a fixed console adjacent the right side of the operator's seat for convenient manipulation thereof by the operator, particularly while the operator is operating the towed implement as well. The positioning of the operator's seat in the fore-and-aft direction, and particularly the positioning of the operator's seat to the clockwise rotated position, causes a positional variance between the fixed console and the movable seat. The result to the operator is that controls that are conveniently accessible in one position of the operator's seat are no longer in the desired positional relationship to the operator when the seat position is moved to an alternative position.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a tractor console that would be selectively movable to position the operative controls housed thereon in a conveniently accessible position as desired by the operator.